Once again, my brother Marek points me the way in my Lenten questings. Today, he mentioned the work of the cognitive psychologist Donald D. Hoffman, who has propounded a revolutionary solution to the hard problem of consciousness - namely that consciousness causes brain activity, rather than brain activity causing conscious experience. Science has yet to explain consciousness. Prof Hoffman proposes that consciousness in fact creates all objects and all the properties of the physical world that we experience through our senses.
Prof Hoffman's concept of Conscious Realism is described as a monism which holds that consciousness is the primary reality and the physical world emerges from that - not the other way around. The objective world consists of conscious agents (such as you and I); our experiences do not stem from physical particles and fields; they are constructs of our consciousness. "Consciousness," posits Prof Hoffman, "is fundamental."
Wow! That's quite something, even in a post-Newtonian world of quantum mechanics.
Let's do a little thought exercise. Let's imagine that science has proved that consciousness is indeed a fundamental property of matter, along with mass and energy. And let's go a step further - science has proved for certain that your consciousness will continue to exist after your bodily demise.
Would that change the way you perceive God? Would you still need a God? Would there be a purpose for faith?
Partly, it's a question of definition, and language. You can frame your definitions using the language of physicists - the rational approach, based on empirical measurement. Or you can use the language of philosophy - seeking to understand the truth. Or you can use religious language, of a Supreme Divinity, a guiding force. To talk about the same thing - the Universe around us. All things visible and invisible. God in All, All in God.
I think the answer boils down to purpose. Assuming consciousness has always been around in the Universe, but at lower levels and rising all the while... why has there been this evolution from simple to complex? What drives this evolution? Is it purely emergent, or does it have an aim? And if so, what is the ultimate evolution of consciousness? Its ultimate destination? A consciousness that is total, Universal understanding? Omniscience? Need there be a goal?
It may well be that attempting to reconcile science and spirituality is a futile exercise after all, one that merely boils down to putting labels on emergent truths. It may well be that the two labels disappear over time, and the distinction between natural/supernatural, physical/metaphysical, becomes redundant.
In the meanwhile, we should constantly be seeking, thinking, discussing.
This time last year:
The metaphysical journey as I see it
This time four years ago:
Spirit of Age, spirit of Place
This time five years ago:
The crux of the matter
This time seven years ago:
10,000 steps is a lot for one day
This time eight years ago:
Bary mleczne - Warsaw's cheap eateries
This time 10 years ago:
Old Town, another prospect
This time 11 years ago:
W-wa Śródmieście - commuters' staging post
This time 12 years ago:
Filthy ul. Poloneza
This time 13 years ago:
A sight that heralds the coming of spring
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